Grateful Dead

RFK Stadium 1989 Box

Digital Download

LESS THAN 5000 LEFT

The Grateful Dead battled the elements in July 1989, enduring drenching rains and stifling humidity during back-to-back shows at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in the nation’s capital. In spite of the bleak weather, the band thrilled the massive crowds both nights with triumphant performances that rank among the very best of a busy year that included 74 shows and the release of the group’s final studio album, BUILT TO LAST.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY STADIUM, WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 12 & 13, 1989 includes two previously unreleased concerts taken from the band’s master 24-track analog recordings, which have been mixed by Jeffrey Norman at TRI Studios and mastered in HDCD by David Glasser. The collection’s colorful slip case features original artwork by Justin Helton and a perfect-bound book with in-depth liner notes written by Dean Budnick, editor-in-chief of Relix magazine. The set will also be available as a digital download in Apple Lossless and FLAC 192/24.

When Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Brent Mydland, and Bob Weir rolled into D.C. in July 1989 for the Dead’s two-night stand at RFK, the band hit the stage running with a stellar rendition of “Touch Of Grey,” the group’s biggest hit from its only Top 10 album In The Dark, which was released in 1987. The following night, the band returned to its double-platinum commercial breakthrough when it opened the show with a fiery version of “Hell In A Bucket.”

“RFK Stadium '89 fell right in the middle of one of the best tours of the last 15 years of Grateful Dead performances, with these shows being the sixth and seventh of an 11-show tour. This tour is widely considered the start of a nine month period of sustained excellence, which ran from Summer '89 through Spring '90. The RFK shows are as good as any of the more famous shows from this period, including July 4 in Buffalo, July 7 in Philadelphia, and the Alpine run,” says David Lemieux, Grateful Dead archivist and the set’s producer. “When Bob Weir has asked me to provide copies of Grateful Dead songs to give to his bandmates to learn and rehearse, he almost always requests Summer '89, and I've often drawn upon the RFK shows for this purpose. It's really that good!”

Both shows feature standout moments, but the July 12 show is notable for a few reasons. Perhaps the biggest is that the first set featured at least one song sung by each of the band’s four lead singers – Garcia, Weir, Lesh and Mydland – something that rarely happened. Another surprise came when the band opened the second set with “Sugaree,” a song that almost always appeared during the first set.

Pianist Bruce Hornsby — who briefly joined the band between 1990 and 1992 — is featured on both shows. He played accordion during “Sugaree” and “Man Smart (Woman Smarter),” with a touch of keyboard-tinkling, on July 12, and then played more accordion the following night for “Tennessee Jed” and “Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again.”

For fans of Mydland’s tenure with the Dead – which began in 1979 and ended in 1990 with the keyboardist’s tragic death – these stellar shows capture that incarnation in peak form. Among the long list of highlights are performances of live staples such as “Eyes Of The World,” “Wharf Rat” and “I Need A Miracle,” along with rarities like “To Lay Me Down,” which was played only a few times in 1989. The July 13 show also features the band road-testing “I Will Take You Home,” a track Mydland wrote with Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow that would appear later that fall on Built To Last.

What made us all such avid fans of this band? Why did the music become so infectious to our ears? What made us deadheads? I nor you could ever answer that question literally. The swirls of the universe have captured us in a time where we are caught in the wheel.......thanks GD!!!!

Sorry to ramble on, but agree on Mayer's guitar choices. I don't know anything about the technical specs on his two PRS's (PRS'?) but the silver is definitely crunchier. They both have their place though.

Edit: I will re-purpose my double post to shout out 3/16/90, current listening. I don't think I like the new Black-Throated Wind lyrics as much as the original, but I admire the straight out re-write. Flashes of Quincy-I mean Dylan. 3/14 remains a favorite but this one won't go away quietly.

If I Had The World - I wasn't familiar with the song, not really having listened to the Shakedown LP yet and appears the Dead didn't play it much. I did remember it from a version on the Day of the Dead compilation a few years ago.

I really like it, saw it in Columbus and streamed the Texas shows.. Oteil does a killer job singing the ballads. And Fire.

Ended up spending most of today listening to 7/19/74 Selland Arena, Dave's 17. Strange in terms of audio quality, not bad necessarily, just different. I guess that's the Wall of Sound? Gives the whole thing a quality on top of the syrupy playing. I'm not the biggest Eyes of the World fan but the '74 ones are some of their best stuff ever.

Received the Stones 'On Air' yesterday, only listened to about half the first disc but really cool. Very similar to the Beatles' Live at the BBC, obviously. Cool to contrast the two bands at a similar point.

Also watched Prairie Home Companion prior to the Dead & Co show last night. Never saw it with the original host, but Chris Thile is insane. All the band too, amazingly talented. The listener requests are my favorite part..I wasn't familiar with the song but they nailed Stevie Wonder's Sir Duke as if they had practiced it for weeks. Could be staged..but I suspect they're just insanely talented musicians. Not fair.

Last random thought..after a ~month of digestion, where do people rank the RFK set? I guess starting with the most comparable release, a better or worse offering than the Warlocks?

I caught up to Had the World.. Hat's off to Oteil. At the end of the song I found myself ever so mildly slack jawed, a few minutes in the woodshop, came back and watched it again. Just as good the second time.

Worth checking out should anything decent pop up on YouTube tomorrow or the next day.

I've noticed something, since at least last year. John apparently got this custom zebra striped maple guitar built when he started playing GD music. But for at least the last two years he has a different metallic silver guitar he uses just for the old songs (67 - say 71 give or take). Just a random observation, but the old school beast has much more reverb and muscle.

....revisiting the Dallas show today via the Archive. Bobby forgot a line in Scarlet, but the crowd filled in for him. Yea. Shit like like is guaranteed goosebumps for me ;)....That majestic Eyes is around the corner. Oh boy! That's like seventeen minutes of goosebumps. Keeping the lamp burning. Thank you Dead & Co.

I agree that last night's show took the cake in a lot of ways. First set had a fantastic vibe to it, shakedown was super funk-a-fied.. I loved the Deep Elim Blues (Bobby: "You all knew this was coming..."); it was nicely paced and it sounded like they had practicd it quite a bit. I even enjoyed the music never stopped sandwich with easy answers. That one took me off guard too but it was enjoyable despite it's questionable place in history.

Second set was absolutely amazing on the first half and I totally concur that I was blown away. They caught me totally offguard coming out of fire on the mountain, for a brief moment there I thought it was Franklin's Tower. Then it was that awesome realization that no, in fact it was eyes of the world! The biggest smile ever grew on my face at that very moment and for the ensuing rest of the show, even getting lost for several moments in the Dear Prudence jam which was I think the best one yet that they've done.

Thanks guys for the links to the 30 days. I'll work on the scooping those up shortly to round it out.

In case anyone is still thinking about buying this and hasn't...you should. It is TOP SHELF Dead. I have listened to it twice through now, and it is really terrific. It surprises me how the Dave's Picks sell out so fast and yet these box sets stick around sometimes for years without selling out.

thanks for posting the link to '30 days of dead'. I missed day 24-30 due to a broadband outage and I could not find them today once I got up-and-going again. I happen by here and noticed the link.
Again, thanks very much!

...I have the complete "Europe 72 "music only edition Boxset. All but a couple shows are opened, the rest of the shows are still sealed...
If anyone's interested in any shows, Ill be happy to help my fellow deadheads :)

Saw the reference to the Tighten Up jam from Dancin on 4/15/70 and couldn't help commenting.

Check something out - listen to the song Tighten Up by Archie Bell and the Drells from 1967 and then listen to the song Soulful Strut by Young-Holt Unlimited from 1968. Both tracks can be found on Disc 3 of the Soul Spectacular collection from Rhino. When you finish that listen to that jam on the 4/15/70 Dancing (from about 5 min. 50 sec through about 8 min 50 sec.) - to my ears the jam is working the melody from Soulful Strut pretty clearly, a melody entirely lacking from Tighten Up. For another version of what I've seen called the tighten up jam check out the version on Darkstar from 10/31/71 DP 2 that starts about 13 minutes and 25 sec. or so in. This version sounds a lot like the melody from Soulful Strut. I never seem to tire of hearing that Darkstar-Jam from 10/31/71. Oh well, just can't help commenting when this comes up.

After an absence of 18 shows, the grease is back. But it’s down a quart. Long gone were the days of Hard To Handle, Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, and Midnight Hour. But at least we had a few more months of Big Boss Man, Next Time You See Me, It Hurts Me Too, Lovelight, and Good Lovin’. And even Caution………………..

Virtually all of December 1971 circulates EXCEPT the first set of this show. Is it in the vault, in the super secure area? Was it even recorded? Perhaps lost to the ravages of time and temperature? Does anybody out there have any insight into this mysterious phenomenon?
Seeing this IS December 1, I shall repeat my Aprilish offer. Anybody who would like recordings from the fine December 1971 tour, pm me on the anniversary of the show and I shall email it to you………

If you’ve read down this far-----major credit to you----but please note that I will be going on a year-long voluntary sabbatical in 2018. So next year, no Port Chester, April, December, or single show offerings. If there’s something 71 you need/want, now is the time to ask.

For everybody I’ve helped in the past, and my “regular customers”, I’ll still be around----just not on deadnet-----so you know where to find me.

My friends, rock on!!! Play it loud, and proud!

Doc
There is a Reaper, whose name is Death,
And, with his sickle keen,
He reaps the bearded grain at a breath,
And the flowers that grow between.

No one mentioned adding half of a nice ripe banana to oatmeal. Just slice it up, drop it in while the oats are cooking and mash it a bit. Add a dash of vanilla extract and maple syrup to taste. Now we are getting somewhere. Don't forget a pinch of salt in the mix.

Banana is on deck for tomorrow morning. Extra Friday treat -- a few dried cherries in there too.

The occasion was a reunion of chums I'm sure will, sadly, never be repeated.

When I stated that the band came out with "the subtlety of a sledgehammer" I got a roaring laugh. I'm certain that I stole that phase from somewhere else but, I thought this was the appropriate format to repeat this assessment.

Thick air indeed. I too enjoy 1/23/70 and 4/15/70 and 5/15/70 - great stuff, but not sure those rival DP4 or DP8 (2/13/70 and 5/2/70). The banter, music, acoustic set, and the general vibe on 5/2/70 are unsurpassed to my ears. But I haven't listened to it in a while. I recently DID put on 2/13/70's Dark Star (or 2/14? DP4) and thought it was mesmerizing. Everything falls right into place - so locked in, like Bach or Mozart with BALLZ!

But 4/15/70 is also great! A little more chill and laid back than DP4 or 8 (east-coast vs west coast, yada yada) - Man's World is amazing! Had 1/23/70 forever and always enjoyed it. 5/15/70 seems to have it all but doesn't come close to the magic of 5/2/70, as I recall. A few stumbles here and there - not quite as energetic in parts. But still a great show - I recall trading DAT's for 5/15/70 18 years ago and it instantly became my best sounding 1970 bootleg - crystal clear, like Jerry's standing RIGHT in front of you. If only there was more 1970 in the hopper.... (And again, why are the oldest recordings sometimes the best??? 1970's recordings: stunning crispness! 1980's recordings: sounds like the parents in Peanuts. WTF? Technology is supposed to advance, not regress)

Yeah I love 5/2/70, just saying to this newcomer's ear, 1/23/70, 2/2/70, 4/15/70 and 5/15/70 are just as good. I omitted 2/13-14/70 because it's already been widely acknowledged as being "as good as" 5/2. Your comments say it all though, which is what I figured. It came first and is hallowed ground. My favorite part so far is (like someone said) The Cosmic / Cryptical / Other One medley. The Man's World from 4/15 may be a little better. I also like the Dancing from 4/15 (awesome Tighten Up section).

Well maybe 4/15 or 1/23-24 will also be hallowed ground in 20 years :-)

Yes, I got this show on a cassette originally-around 1987. My copy had an acoustic set by The New Riders included, too, which was also great. But the electric set by The Dead completely blew me away. For many years it was far and away my favourite show-the versions of The Other One and Dancing In The Street are breath taking. Viola Lee Blues is very powerful, too. Maybe because it was the first Dead show I heard from 1970 (apart from the mediocre "Bears Choice) but it still seems to stand out as the best show from this era. Not the most subtle, perhaps, but, the sheer power and energy could topple kingdoms.

The sequence of Cryptical > Drums > Other One > Cryptical > Cosmic Charlie is my favorite piece of music by the Grateful Dead or anyone else for that matter. It is grungy, fast and perfectly executed. In addition the acoustic set is great, as is the third set. The Man's World > Dancin' is also special. This show amazed me from the first time I got it on cassette, long before Dick's Picks was available.

I read a lot of hoopla about this show. I'm not hearing what sets it apart from the rest of the 1970 shows I have. The electric sets are great but so are all of these:

Dave's Picks Vol. 19 (1/23-24/70)

Dave's Pick's Vol. 6 (2/2/70)

30 Trips Around the Sun (4/15/70)

Road Trips Vol. 3 No. 3 (5/14-15/70)

These all have a great deal of energy and are virtually flawless. Is it possible it's so popular because it was one of the first to be released, and features acoustic music? I keep seeing it pop up in polls and articles, so I wanted to check in and see if this is a case where its uniqueness at the time of its release made a legend out of it. I got this version of Dave's 19 from one of y'all that starts with the bonus material from disc 3, and it's a masterpiece of a show. The 30 Trips show from Winterland also has some majorly awesome material.

My concert experience always had Bobby forgetting the words to Truckin. I always thought it was intentional, an inside joke, and a comment on how often they had to play it. We would wait for it and cheer his "lapse" of memory.

I could actually use one of those. I very stupidly took my glass piece out of my sock holding it my hand with my keys above my head entering The Garden on the first night two weeks ago as I went through the security gates; they essentially did the honor system as you went through and i could have easily just left it in my sock but alas...the good honest person that I am, i figured I'd be transparent with them since technically its legal here. Well, the security dude was like "what's this?" and I was like "It's my apparatus man!" and he then says "those aren't allowed in here"....and *poof* it was gone. That's just a funny statement cause, well, we ALL know that pretty much everyone has got somethin on them going in.

Thankfully the 4 phatties I had rolled up in my pocket went unnoticed so in the end All was Well.

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